


So We Don't Have To Do It Again

by helens78



Category: due South
Genre: 5 Things, Angst, Break Up, Getting Back Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-07
Updated: 2010-12-07
Packaged: 2017-10-13 17:11:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/139658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helens78/pseuds/helens78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Ray ends it with Fraser, neither one of them is really happy about that.  But for once -- twice -- five times in their lives, they're not going to fix it with sex.</p>
            </blockquote>





	So We Don't Have To Do It Again

**Author's Note:**

> For a "Five Times Ray and Fraser _Didn't_ Have Sex" prompt!

1\. When Ray says it's over, Fraser doesn't beg. He doesn't try to argue, even though, as Ray says over and over that he believes Fraser, that he knows Fraser isn't cheating, that he trusts Fraser, his expression is all shuttered and he's failing to convince either one of them that he knows, that he trusts, that he's sure.

It wasn't Vecchio's fault; he and Stella both came back to Chicago when Florida didn't work out for them, and Fraser has always been Vecchio's friend, will always be. More than friends, once, but that was a long time ago... as long ago as Ray's marriage to Stella, Fraser doesn't point out.

"I just can't be--second," Ray says. "'Cause second choice means you always gotta worry about the first guy coming back, and--"

"Understood," Fraser says quietly. "I understand, Ray."

He only ever had one change of clothes in Ray's apartment, anyway, so he goes to the bedroom and stands in front of the dresser for a moment, looking at Ray's wedding photo. He sighs and begins taking his things out of the drawer.

Ray's leaning up against the doorframe, slouching, jeans riding low on his hips, so low, and Fraser could easily slide to his knees and have Ray in his mouth and maybe, if he put the clothes down first, if he pushed the dresser drawer shut, if he touched Ray in all the ways he likes and made him come whispering Fraser's name, Ray would let Fraser stay.

But Fraser stays where he is, boxers and undershirt and spare flannel button-down clutched in his arms, and finally Ray moves, nodding, jaw set as he walks Fraser out of his apartment, down to his car so he can give Fraser a ride home.

* * *

2\. The first stakeout after that, Ray's twitchy and antsy and nervous. He keeps looking over at Fraser as if _Fraser's_ the target of the stakeout and not Ms. Mooney and Mr. Orson.

"Is something wrong?" Fraser asks.

"What? No--no, no, no, nothing, I just--" Ray rubs his palm against his thigh, over and over, as if he's sweating and can't stop. "I just. I _hate_ thi--"

He covers his mouth with his hand and closes his eyes, and after a few long, long seconds, he looks over at Fraser, breath shaking and unsteady, eyes desperate and sad. He starts to lean over, his hands--his hands are reaching out, one of them curving over Fraser's thigh, _yes please yes Ray yes_ , and then there's a _bang_ from the house they're supposed to be watching and a car comes tearing out down the driveway.

Ray's after the car in no time, calling it in, and Fraser tries to write off all his physical reactions as adrenaline, pure and simple adrenaline from the bang and the car chase. Nothing else.

* * *

3\. Nothing happens with Vecchio, even after the news of Fraser and Ray's breakup has circulated through their friends and family. Vecchio may be single, but he and Fraser have a very, very quick talk that ends with Vecchio saying, "I'm sorry, Benny, but--I kinda moved on," and Fraser saying, "Yes, so have I, I'm sorry, too" and Vecchio just staring at him and saying, "But you two--"

Fraser cuts him off, and they end up talking about whale migration for the next few minutes, and that's that.

So Fraser's first date after Ray is with a rather sweet, shy man named Jonas. Jonas is a librarian. In his spare time, in the winter, he likes to go up to Granite Peak and snowboard. He has a year-old Samoyed named Anka. "After Paul," he explains over dinner. "I'm kind of a dork."

At the end of the night, Jonas invites Fraser upstairs. Fraser kisses him at the doorway of his apartment, and when Jonas moans softly against his mouth, he kisses him again, and again, until Jonas is shaking against him.

He makes up a terrible, pitiful excuse for not going inside, turns before he can see the disappointment in Jonas's eyes, and thirty-four minutes later he's on Ray's doorstep, still licking the taste of Jonas off his mouth.

Ray opens the door and stares at him--it's not like Ray didn't know about Fraser's date, _everyone_ knew about Fraser's date, Fraser merely thought about Jonas in the presence of Tom Dewey and somehow the rumor mill had broken wide open. But Ray keeps staring at Fraser's mouth, and Fraser says, "I tried--I _tried_ , but I didn't _want_ \--"

Ray reaches out, and Fraser grabs hold of him, kissing him hard, and yes, _this_ \--this is what he wanted, _who_ he wanted, this is everything and everyone he's dreamed of the last two months, and he moans against Ray's mouth, soft and hot and needy. Ray's cock is hard against his thigh, and Ray groans, too, rubbing up, rubbing _up_ , God.

But suddenly--tight clamp on his arms, motion, movement, rush of cold air, and Ray has pushed him away, Ray has pushed him back into the hallway.

"This is not how we are doing this, Fraser," Ray says firmly. "We are not getting back together the night of your first date with some other guy. You talk to him and you break it off _clean_."

"Yes," Fraser stammers, "I--yes, of course, but--"

"But?"

"But then what," Fraser says desperately, reaching out again. Ray squirms out of his grasp and takes a step back, shaking his head.

"Then we'll see," Ray says. "No promises. We'll see."

Fraser nods, he nods several times, and when Ray quietly closes the door, he rests his palms against it for a few minutes, still nodding, before he goes home.

* * *

4\. A week later, Fraser asks _Ray_ out on a date. It takes a few tries before he can make Ray understand this.

"No, the diner won't do." "I--it's not that I don't enjoy pizza, but--" "Ray, please, I'd like to go somewhere private and quiet where the napkins are made of _cloth_."

Ray stares at him for a few seconds, because their first "date", the first time around, was actually just SportsCenter on the television and Ray's hand sneaking into Fraser's lap, and Fraser saying _yes, yes, oh God I've wanted this for so long, Ray._

But in the end, he says, "Okay, what the hell," and he lets Fraser pick out a nice restaurant, and when they go on their date, he wears a jacket and a tie.

At the end of the night, Fraser goes home with Ray, and Ray puts his key in the lock and says, very softly, "Okay. Okay, you got me."

Fraser wraps his arms around Ray's waist, from behind, and buries his face in the back of Ray's neck and takes a long, long, deep breath.

"I missed you," Fraser whispers.

" _God_ , Fraser, don't ever let me do that again--"

Ray turns around, and Fraser kisses him, and yes, _yes_ , everything in the world falls into its proper place and Fraser can't stop saying things, can't stop telling Ray _yes_ and _please_ and _love you_.

But he pulls away after a few minutes, and he says, "I think we should take things slow this time."

"I think I should _kick you in the head_ ," Ray says, after the initial gaping finishes. "Are you _kidding_ me? Take it _slow_?"

Fraser feels his heart leap into his throat, but he makes himself nod--he has, after all, had ample opportunity to think about this. "I want a whole drawer," he says. "And at least a little space in the closet for my uniforms."

"Wait--wait. Wait. Are you--you're saying you want to _move in_?"

The incredulous look on his face--it isn't very flattering. Fraser frowns. "I thought if we were doing this again, we ought to do it properly."

"I--" Ray clutches at Fraser's waist, trying to get him closer. "How about you come in and we talk about it in the morning."

Fraser shakes his head and kisses Ray on the cheek. He's not settling, either, not this time. "Good night, Ray."

* * *

5\. Fraser gets his drawer.

He gets his drawer and fully _half_ the closet. Ray even clears out half the medicine cabinet and lets Fraser hang up the razor strop on the wall.

He gives Fraser a key and puts his name on the answering machine.

His wedding picture is nowhere to be found.

When all of Fraser's things are moved in, when they've gone shopping for new towels and sheets to celebrate and Fraser's forced Ray to buy some vegetables for the house, and they've had dinner and put the sheets on the bed and the towels in the bathroom and Ray has heroically groused very, very little about all the changes Fraser wants to make to his household organizational methods, they slip into bed, Fraser's arm around Ray's chest, Ray's legs wrapped around Fraser's.

"I was a _dick_ ," Ray says; Ray has apologized quite a few times in the last week.

"Perhaps we were only getting it out of the way," Fraser says, nuzzling Ray's neck.

"What?"

"Breaking up," Fraser murmurs. "So we don't have to do it again."

Ray chuckles, and he turns so Fraser's spooning him, and for whatever reason, just being here and smelling Ray and sleeping beside him seems like the most intimate thing they could possibly do. Fraser enjoys every minute of it.

 _-end-_


End file.
